‘It’s not even a kiss, just a light peck.’

Her heart pounded wildly.

His every tiny action occupied her mind.

It felt as if he was consuming all the anxiety that had been residing in a corner of her heart since she had possessed this body.

Smooch-

With a short sound, his lips parted from hers.

His face, which had been close, gradually moved away.

The lips that had just touched hers looked even redder.

‘How disappointing.’

Her blue eyes widened as if they were about to spill over.

She was startled by the thought that had unconsciously crossed her mind.

‘Disappointing! Am I crazy!’

Her ears suddenly felt hot. The red eyes staring at her without fear now seemed terrifying. It felt like they might devour her.

Adelia lowered her gaze to avoid his eyes.

‘I need to calm down. The wedding isn’t over yet, and there are many people around.’

She kept reassuring herself.

When she faced him again, her lips habitually drew a curved line.

It seemed as if she was determined to hide all her emotions behind that face. Outwardly, it was a very bright and beautiful smile. One that everyone would say looked happy.

Only Lucian, who saw that smile up close, raised an eyebrow.

* * *

After the wedding, a grand banquet was held.

People enjoyed the banquet, which was as splendid as the ceremony itself.

At imperial banquets, the groom, not the bride, was traditionally the main focus. It was a consideration for the bride who would be tired from the arduous wedding.

“Well, it’s my son’s wedding, so I should at least pour a drink.”

“Haha, Your Highness, please accept a drink from me as well.”

“Your Highness, it feels like just yesterday that you first took up the sword, and now you’re getting married. This Deon is deeply moved.”

“Right… Thank you.”

Lucian drank the drinks offered by people one after another.

Since the drinks given at the banquet held a blessing, it was etiquette not to refuse them.

As a result, it was common for the groom to get quite drunk, and the first night was usually spent at the honeymoon destination.

There were not many who dared to offer Lucian enough alcohol to get him drunk. However, there were many who would not miss the rare opportunity to pour a drink for the Crown Prince.

In the end, Lucian stayed at the banquet for quite a long time.

While Lucian stayed at the banquet, Adelia pretended to sleep and slipped out of the room. Her destination was, of course, the merchant guild.

Conrad frowned upon seeing Adelia enter the guild with a bright smile. He sighed softly, then naturally arranged the bookshelves and pulled out a chair.

“Is it okay for the new bride to be with another man on the wedding night instead of the groom?”

“What man? If I found you lying in my bed, I’d kick you out and tell you to get to work.”

“If I’m lying in your bed, it would probably be to beg you to reduce my workload. So, since you’re here, get to work.”

“That’s what I came for. I won’t be able to come while on the honeymoon.”

Conrad had only attended the wedding ceremony and had not gone to the banquet. There was no reason to attend a banquet without Adelia.

But he hadn’t expected her to come to the guild.

“Here you go. If you handle this much, you won’t have to come for about a week.”

“Thanks. But still, send me work through the communication stone.”

Adelia took the documents Conrad handed over.

She quickly processed the documents, wearing the glasses she always wore.

“Are you going to work even on your honeymoon?”

“I have to. It’s just called a honeymoon, but it’s a contract marriage anyway. And do you think I’m someone who can afford to take a week off? I have mountains of work to do.”

Conrad let out a sigh of relief at Adelia’s indifferent words.

“I’m glad to hear you say that. Watching the wedding, I had some uneasy thoughts.”

“Uneasy thoughts?”

“I know you both look great, but seeing you two standing there was quite a sight.”

“So?”

“You like beautiful things, don’t you? I was worried you might fall for the Crown Prince’s face and decide not to divorce… Then what would happen to our guild? You have no idea how much I worried in that short moment.”

Conrad clutched his heart as he spoke.

He wasn’t lying; his face was genuinely tearful. His voice even had a hint of moisture.

But Adelia laughed heartily at his words.

“What a useless worry.”

“But! Even as a man, I can say the Crown Prince is handsome. Honestly, I was worried from the start that you might fall for his face.”

“Well, he is handsome. Sometimes I do get a bit dazed.”

“Master!”

“But that’s it. Do you see me as someone foolish enough to live my whole life just for a pretty face?”

“Of course not.”

“What’s the use of being handsome? It just attracts more flies. My type is someone modest and who only looks at me. And a man with a pretty crying face.”

“Ah, that definitely isn’t the Crown Prince.”

Conrad nodded in understanding with a calm voice.

His previously worried expression was replaced with a relieved smile.

‘It’s hard to imagine the Crown Prince crying.’

A man with a pretty crying face. It was a phrase that didn’t suit Lucian, who seemed like he wouldn’t shed a drop of blood even if he’s pricked.

Only then could Conrad focus on his work.

‘He still doesn’t know. Handsome men look beautiful even when they cry.’

Adelia swallowed the words she couldn’t bring herself to say and smiled.

She decided to keep this truth buried for the sake of her poor subordinate.

But aside from that, if you ask her whether she would live with Lucian forever, the answer was ‘no.’

‘I can’t live with someone who doesn’t love me.’

With such simple thoughts, Adelia turned over the documents.

Unaware that her hands were moving slower than usual today.

* * *

“I can’t leave without our princess.”

“What if I miss you, Sister?”

In front of the carriage leaving for the honeymoon, Adelia and Ariana hugged each other tightly.

Ariana, snug in Adelia’s arms, whined and clung to her dress.

Seeing those chubby hands made her even more reluctant to leave.

“Haa… What should I do? I feel like kidnapping you and taking you with me. Should I give you a teleportation stone secretly from His Majesty so you can come?”

“If it’s you, Sister, I’ll follow you willingly.”

As the time to leave approached, they hugged each other more tightly.

Lucian watched them with a sullen face.

He felt like a villain committing a terrible deed.

“Let go.”

The Emperor lifted Ariana up.

Ariana, who had been snug in Adelia’s arms, was transferred to the Emperor’s embrace.

At this rate, it seemed they wouldn’t be able to leave today.

And he didn’t like seeing his daughter and daughter-in-law clinging to each other like that.

He looked down at Adelia with a disapproving gaze.

“Leave quickly.”

Leaving those short words, the Emperor turned and entered the palace.

Ariana, clinging to his neck, waved her hand in the air.

“Bring me a present, Sister!”

“Of course. See you in a week!”

Adelia responded with a bright smile and waved her hand.

As the Emperor and the princess disappeared, the prince approached Adelia.

“Sister, will you bring me a present too?”

“Of course. Is there anything you want?”

“I like anything you give me, Sister.”

Lawrence’s cool, long eyes gently curved into crescents.

It was still a playful smile of a child, but the soft smile on a face that looked exactly like Lucian’s made it seem like flowers were blooming around.

“Oh my, where did you learn such sweet words? I can’t help but bring you a gift.”

Adelia also raised the corners of her mouth, half-covering her blue eyes.

Then she placed her hand on Lawrence’s soft black hair.

He flinched for a moment, surprised, but soon accepted her touch.

He liked the feeling of a warm hand moving over his slightly curly hair.

“Now that I’m the Crown Princess, it’s not improper to pat the prince.”

“Ariana pats me every day, but you’re so harsh with me.”

“Were you jealous? Then I’ll pat you every day from now on, too.”

The courtiers who saw the two chatting for the first time were left with their mouths agape, frozen in place.

To think that the prince, who used to be so prickly and unruly, had turned into a gentle cat.

Even in front of the princess, he always acted like a reliable older brother, but he had never done anything so cute.

The courtiers were confused by this unprecedented sight. They even suspected that it might be someone else with the prince’s face.

“Then I’ll be going. See you in a week.”

“Yes. Have a safe trip, sister. You too, brother.”

Adelia and Lucian left the imperial palace after receiving Lawrence’s farewell.

Their carriage gradually became smaller. It became smaller than a dot and completely disappeared before Lawrence turned around.

The soft smile from earlier was nowhere to be seen, and only his characteristic wicked face remained.

“What are you looking at? Do you want to die?”

The prince growled like a wild beast without a master.

It wasn’t that the person had changed. It was just that a tamer had appeared.